Why We’re Making Our Own Bread at Thrive Simply

At Thrive Simply, reducing waste isn’t about being perfect—it’s about making thoughtful, everyday choices that lessen our impact on the planet. One of the simplest changes we’ve made recently is making our own bread, and it’s had a bigger impact than we ever expected.

Rethinking Everyday Packaging

Bread is a staple in many households, yet almost every loaf on store shelves comes wrapped in plastic. Even options marketed as “natural” or “artisan” are typically sealed in packaging that ends up in landfill. When we looked at this through our waste-reduction lens, it felt like an easy place to make a change. By baking bread ourselves, we’ve removed one more source of unnecessary plastic from our weekly routine.

Simple Ingredients, Less Waste

Homemade bread requires only a handful of basic ingredients—flour, yeast, water, and salt. No preservatives. No additives. No excess packaging. We source ingredients in bulk when possible, reuse containers, and store finished loaves in reusable cloth bags or airtight containers. This approach supports our core belief at Thrive Simply:

Cinnamon Swirl Bread made by Janie A. Duncan

Supporting a Low-Waste Lifestyle

Reducing waste doesn’t always mean buying new eco-friendly products. Sometimes it means returning to simple practices that people have relied on for generations. Making bread at home is a perfect example—less packaging, fewer resources used, and more control over what enters your home. These small shifts, when repeated, create meaningful change.

The Value of Making It Yourself

There is something deeply satisfying about creating a staple food from scratch. It fosters mindfulness, appreciation, and connection—to our food, our routines, and our values. At Thrive Simply, we believe sustainable living should feel empowering, not overwhelming.

Making our own bread aligns perfectly with that philosophy.

Progress, Not Perfection

We don’t believe in all-or-nothing sustainability. Every small step matters. Whether you make bread once a month or once a week, it’s still a step toward reducing waste and living more intentionally.

At Thrive Simply, we’ll continue to explore practical, realistic ways to reduce waste—and we invite you to do the same, one simple choice at a time.